First Nations families who lost loved ones in Thunder Bay seek answers amid renewed heat on police service
CBC
At an emotional news conference in Toronto on Monday, First Nations leaders didn't hold back when it came to the unresolved deaths of Indigenous people in Thunder Bay.
They want the northwestern Ontario city's police service disbanded and an outside police service to investigate unresolved deaths.
But it was the heart-wrenching stories of the families of loved ones who lost their lives — Mackenzie Moonias, 14, Jenna Ostberg, 21, and Corey Belesky, 31 — that drove home the need to get answers and accountability.
Mackenzie's mom says she wants the loss of her daughter resolved. Ostberg's parents say their daughter was a recent college graduate, artist and women's advocate. Belesky's mom described him as a loving, caring man.
The news conference at Queen's Park was held days after Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) laid multiple criminal charges against the former police chief, former police service lawyer and a staff sergeant. But there's a long history of controversy involving the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS), including their handling of death investigations.
"These families have been left without credible investigations into the deaths that happened recently of their loved ones by the Thunder Bay Police Service," Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa told the news conference.
"We cannot continue to let these cases go unresolved."
The Thunder Bay Police Service Board and the city's police chief have both stressed they're working to regain the public's confidence.
Later Monday, TBPS Chief Darcy Fleury issued a statement renewing those vows.
"I know TBPS is under scrutiny. I take very seriously my responsibility to build confidence and welcome the involvement and wisdom of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and other Indigenous community leaders at any time as we continue in our commitment to advance truth and reconciliation."
Fleury is expected to also make comments to the media after the Thunder Bay police board's regular meeting Tuesday morning.
Here's more about the three investigations highlighted during Monday's news conference and what the families have to say.
The TBPS has determined Belesky's death to be a homicide, but his family says they still don't know what happened to him. Corey was a member of Marten Falls First Nation.
The TBPS says officers were dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of Brent Street just before 1:10 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2022, when they found Belesky's body. No arrests have been made.
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